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Arunachal students union vows
to force Chakmas out

The AAPSU had staged protests, including a general strike in the state on Friday to pressure the state and the central governments to oust the tribal Buddhist Chakma refugees.

"We shall be forced to chalk out fresh strategies to evict the refugees from Arunachal Pradesh if the government fails to come up with any solution by this month end," Goge Sora, AAPSU general secretary, told AFP.

"We can go to any extent to free the state of the refugees," he added.

The Chakmas have been staying in Arunachal Pradesh since 1964 as stateless citizens after they fled their native Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh following alleged persecution by the country's majority Muslim community.

The government of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, wants to get rid of the Chakmas saying their presence could turn out to be a potential threat to indigenous tribals.

"The presence of refugees in Arunachal Pradesh is indeed a matter of serious concern and there are also disturbing reports that some Chakma youths cross over to Bangladesh and then smuggle in arms for subversive activities in the state," said Takam Sanjay, a minister in the state cabinet.

"It seems the Chakma refugees are arming themselves to fight the locals in case of any crackdown on them by the government," Neelam Taram, former home minister of Arunachal Pradesh and now in charge of information and public relations, said.

The Chakmas have been eking out a living by selling agricultural produce and running petty business in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

"Where do we go from here. We don't have anything left in Bangladesh and if force is applied on us to leave, we shall have to approach international human rights fora for intervention," a Chakma refugee leader said requesting anonymity.

"We shall prefer to die here than leaving elsewhere," he asserted.

Chief Minister Mukut Mithi said the Centre had been apprised of the problem and its adverse social implications.

"We want the Chakmas to be deported from Arunachal Pradesh. We don't have any problems if the refugees are settled outside our state and provided Indian citizenship," he said.

"But they have no place in our state although we don't want to take any hasty steps that could amount to violating human rights," the chief minister added.

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